Afghanistan
Angola
Argentina
Asia (AFC)
Asian Games
Australia
Belgium-Netherlands
Brazil
Burkina Faso
Central American & Caribbean Games
Central American Games
Congo DR
Denmark
England
Europe (UEFA)
FYR Macedonia
Finland
Germany
Greece
International Tournaments
Italy
Mediterranean Games
Mexico
National
Nepal
North & Central America (Concacaf)
Palestine
Pan American Games
Panama
Russia
Scandinavia
Serbia And Montenegro
South American Games
Spain
Syria
USA
Venezuela
World (FIFA)
Yemen
Zimbabwe

Preview: England vs. Andorra - prediction, team news, lineups

sportsmole.co.uk, 3 September 2021, 10:29
Seeking to maintain their 100% start to World Cup 2022 Qualifying, England step foot onto the Wembley turf for the first time since the Euro 2020 final for Sunday's visit of Andorra.

The Three Lions dazzled and delighted in a 4-0 thrashing of Hungary on Thursday night, while the visitors claimed their first victory of Qualifying over fellow minnows San Marino.

Match preview

The despicable actions of some supporters once again overshadowed what was an otherwise joyous occasion in midweek for England, who sought to do what neither world champions France nor Germany could at Euro 2020 - beat Hungary.

Despite struggling to break down the resolute five-man rearguard in the first 45 minutes, England came out all guns blazing in the second period as Raheem Sterling, Harry Kane, Harry Maguire and Declan Rice made it four wins out of four in Group I.

However, incidences of alleged racism and projectiles being thrown onto the pitch stole the headlines following the full-time whistle, as football once again called on the authorities to do more to combat such transgressions, but Gareth Southgate nevertheless lauded the reaction of 18-year-old Jude Bellingham after he was reportedly the subject of m chants during the game.

Off-the-pitch matters aside, England are right where they belong at the top of Group I with 12 points from a possible 12 - scoring 13 goals and conceding just one in that time - and victory over Hungary represented their 12th from 14 games across all competitions.

No die-hard Three Lions fan needs reminding what transpired the last time their side took to the field at Wembley, but England had embarked on an eight-game unbeaten run at home before that fateful night against Italy and now welcome a team 152 places below them in the FIFA World Rankings.

After three expected defeats to Albania, Poland and Hungary, the visit of international whipping boys San Marino represented the perfect opportunity for Andorra to claim their first three points of Qualifying, and Koldo Alvarez's side ensured that would be the case.

A centre-back by trade, Marc Vales netted two quickfire strikes in the 17th and 24th minutes to end Andorra's 16-game winless run across all competitions and equal their biggest-ever victory - with previous 2-0 wins over San Marino, Belarus and Albania also on that list.

Incredibly, victory over San Marino represented only Andorra's fourth competitive win of all time since their debut on the international stage in 1996, and they have now kept back-to-back clean sheets following a friendly 0-0 stalemate with Gibraltar in June.

However, Andorra's winless run away from home stretches all the way back to a 1-0 friendly triumph over Liechtenstein back in March 2018 - losing 10 and drawing three on the road since then - and that success represents one of only two away victories in their 25-year history.

Unsurprisingly, Andorra have lost all four of their previous meetings with England without scoring a single goal, with the Three Lions recording 5-0 and 6-0 victories at Wembley in this fixture - the most recent of which came in 2009.

England World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

England form (all competitions):

Andorra World Cup Qualifying - Europe form:

Andorra form (all competitions):

Team News

With a taxing trip to Poland lying in wait, Southgate is expected to shuffle the pack considerably for the visit of Andorra, but Jadon Sancho will need to be assessed after a knock ruled him out of the win over Hungary.

Declan Rice and Raheem Sterling could both make way after being cautioned last time out, which opens up spots for Jordan Henderson and Bukayo Saka to feature, while Trent Alexander-Arnold and Kieran Trippier are options for change in the wide areas.

With Harry Kane also one booking away from a ban, the stage could be set for Patrick Bamford to make his international debut, while Jesse Lingard and Jude Bellingham are also vying for starting roles.

Andorra have lost both Marc Pujol and Jordi Alaez to suspensions ahead of the trip to Wembley, so Cristian Martinez and Victor Bernat may be called upon to deputise for the pair.

Alvarez's side deployed a 4-4-2 in search of a morale-boosting win over Andorra, and such a move paid dividends, but a switch to a back five could see Jordi Rubio come into the fold.

Villarreal B goalkeeper Iker Alvarez - the son of manager Koldo - is a talented prospect, but 75-cap Josep Gomes should retain the gloves at Wembley.

England possible starting lineup:

Pickford; Alexander-Arnold, Stones, Mings, Trippier; Henderson, Bellingham; Saka, Mount, Lingard; Bamford

Andorra possible starting lineup:

Gomes; Rubio, Nicolas, Llovera, Alavedra, Cervos; C. Martinez, Vales, Moreno, A. Martinez; Cucu

We say: England 6-0 Andorra

The gulf in class between these two nations could not be more evident, although Southgate will field far from a full-strength XI as he keeps one eye on the trip to Poland.

Andorra's fourth-ever competitive win was reason to celebrate in midweek, but they should be brought crashing back down to earth with a humbling in the English capital.

Top News

14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together at the top of League C Group 1 with two games to play, Sweden and Slovakia will battle it out to take the outright lead when they meet on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal will reportedly allow out-of-favour defender Jakub Kiwior to leave the club on loan in January. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Wales travel to the Kadir Has Stadium in Kayseri to face Turkey in their penultimate League B Group 4 fixture in the UEFA Nations League on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Pablo Torre has not ruled out the possibility of leaving the club in January, after seeing his game time reduced recently. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Aiming to narrow their gap to the top two in the League One table with a third consecutive victory, Barnsley will visit the Abbey Stadium to take on Cambridge United on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Alexander Isak has delivered a fresh update on his future at Newcastle United, amid reported interest from a number of clubs including Arsenal. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Roma have confirmed the appointment of 73-year-old Claudio Ranieri as their new first-team manager until the end of the season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Newcastle United winger Anthony Gordon has revealed that he was "desperate" to join Chelsea in 2022. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal could rival Manchester City and Liverpool for the signature of Real Sociedad midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool are reportedly weighing up whether to make a move for in-form PSV Eindhoven striker Ricardo Pepi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As exquisite as Pedro Neto's equaliser was, the Portuguese's 20-yard leveller for Chelsea in Sunday's 1-1 Premier League draw with Arsenal was arguably more to do with the Gunners' uncharacteristic defensive failings. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona have reportedly made a decision over whether they will pursue a move for Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Estevao Willian has revealed that he will continue with his education even after completing a big-money transfer to Chelsea. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City are reportedly going to give Real Sociedad "a long and hard winter" in their pursuit of midfielder Martin Zubimendi. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Embroiled in a fight against relegation to the UEFA Nations League's lowest level, Azerbaijan and Estonia will clash in Qabala on Saturday afternoon. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk England captain Harry Kane has reportedly emerged as a late doubt for Thursday's UEFA Nations League meeting with Greece due to a knock. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona midfielder Frenkie de Jong is expected to be given the all-clear for Saturday's all-important UEFA Nations League clash with Hungary in Amsterdam. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Locked together on five points in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, the Netherlands and Hungary meet on Saturday in a winner-takes-all clash at the Johan Cruyff Arena. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Both vying for promotion to the UEFA Nations League's top tier, Albania and League B Group 1 leaders Czech Republic will lock horns on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco has insisted that his club are not currently looking to bring in a replacement for Robert Lewandowski, with the striker in excellent form for the Catalan giants this season. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester City goalkeeper Stefan Ortega will be eyeing a debut for the Germany national team in Saturday's UEFA Nations League clash with Bosnia-Herzegovina in League A Group 3. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona sporting director Deco is confident that the club will be able to sign Pedri to a new long-term contract. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Needing just a point to all but guarantee a first-placed finish in League A Group 3 of the UEFA Nations League, Germany welcome Bosnia-Herzegovina to the Europa-Park Stadion in Freiburg on Saturday. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Christian Eriksen has revealed that he is 'yet to hear anything' from Manchester United over his future. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk As closely contested League B Group 1 nears its conclusion, promotion - and relegation - rivals Georgia and Ukraine will meet in Batumi on Saturday evening. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United are reportedly considering making a move for Dinamo Zagreb midfielder Martin Baturina during the January transfer window. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk With all eyes fixed on the January transfer market, clubs around the UK and Europe are already lining up potential mid-season moves. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kazakhstan vs. Austria (Thursday, 3.00pm) Amid a three-way battle for promotion from League B Group 3, Austria aim to improve their prospects with a win on Thursday, when they meet Kazakhstan in the UEFA Nations League. 14 November 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Athletico Paranaense can temporarily climb out of the Brasileiro Serie A relegation zone with a victory over Atletico Mineiro on Saturday at Arena de Baixada.